The Legend of Zelda: Rise of a Shadow
by Draknek
Summary: Previously named The Army of Grazburg. The Hero of Time reclaims the Master Sword.. But is he who he appears to be?
1. A beginning

**The Legend of Zelda**

**The Army of Grazburg**

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Chapter 1 - A beginning 

          He looked down the Temple of Time, towards the door which held so many memories. The sacred door, the Door of Time. The entire Temple was full of light, lit up by the great window high up above the entrance and the 2 each side of the room. At the far end, a Triforce symbol was marked out above the Door of Time, the arches surrounding it only making it more sacred. The bright golden light illuminated his green tunic, his hood casting a faint shadow on his pale face and short, blonde hair. On his back, he wore his Hero's shield, along with a sword designed for him by Biggoron himself. He would have no more need for that sword after today, but he had brought it with him anyway. He was young, only 17, but one look at his face would tell anyone he was a dangerous fighter, who had been through much for the cause of justice, and peace.

He stood on a large pad marked by the Triforce and the symbol of Light, a circle with 3 evenly marked triangles in it, with smaller circles between them. He knew this was one of the 6 special Warp points around the land that he could activate with the Ocarina of Time which Zelda had returned to him, on his 17th birthday. It was only yesterday, but it seemed to him a lifetime. His bright blue eyes looked up the diamond patterned path leading up to the Altar of Time, taking in every detail about it. To either side of the path, a checker pattern decorated the floor, lining the walls which were made of large stone slabs.

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7 years ago to him, after he had defeated Ganon, he had been transported back to the past. The Door of Time had been locked, he had lost the Triforce of Courage, and he had given up his position as the Hero of Time. Now, on that very same day, he was taking up his rightful role. He stepped towards the Altar of Time, his hands taking out the Ocarina of Time. As he started playing the Song of Time, the three Spiritual Stones: The Kokiri Emerald, the Goron Ruby and the Zora Sapphire appeared over his head and floated over to the Altar. As they fitted into the Altar, he silently recited the message written an eternity ago; _'Ye who owns 3 Spiritual Stones, Stand with the Ocarina of Time, And play the Song of Time.'_ Silently, the Door of Time slid apart, opening the way to another chamber, where he knew the legendary Master Sword rested.

The last time he had taken the Master Sword, he had been preserved asleep for 7 years until he was old enough to be the Hero of Time, the only person who could lift the Sword out of the Pedestal of Time. This mistake had cost Zelda the Triforce, and even now it stopped a Golden age of peace and prosperity. Now, he was old enough, and could awaken as the Hero of Time. As he walked up to the Pedestal, his thoughts turned to Navi, his companion for that adventure, and the only one apart from Zelda and the other Sages to share his memories of the future. Navi had gone off exploring after they had got back, and he had not seen her since. He still regretted the decision not to search for her, for it would have meant another life of adventure, even though, as Zelda had reminded him so many times over the years, it would have almost certainly meant giving up any possibility of becoming the Hero of Time, and wielding the Master Sword again.

He ignored these possibilities. He could no longer travel back to his childhood and he would not have been able to predict the results even if he could. He stepped up to the Master Sword, resting in the Pedestal of Time, behind the Door of Time, opened by the Altar of Time, and the Song of Time, played on the Ocarina of Time, inside the Temple of Time. Suddenly he had a headache. Standing tall and proud, he pulled the Master Sword out of the Pedestal, and was swept away by the surge of blue light.

**********

_'Hero of Time!'_ called a voice, instantly recognisable as Rauru, the Sage of Light. _'Hero of Time! Come forth, to your destiny. Ganon may be imprisoned in the Evil Realm, but you have great things to do. You must find the other,'_ continued Rauru.

'Other? What other?' he replied, his voice clouded with uncertainty.

_'You must find the **other**. It will all become clear to you,'_ came the voice of the Sage, as clear as ever. _'Good luck on your quest, Hero of Time. Good luck… Draknek.'_

Even as he was pondering over the meaning of these words, Draknek was taken by the familiar blue transportation light, and back into the world of Zambasta. He had a long quest to start.

**********

          He reappeared in the Temple of Time, even more confused than he had been the last time he had taken the Master Sword. As his thoughts turned to the legendary blade, he drew it from the sheath on his back, where it had replaced his Biggoron short sword, and wondered again about its remarkable design and balance. He remembered the first time he had drawn the Sword, when he had just returned from the Temple of Light. He had felt the presence of Sheik behind him, and had drawn the Master Sword in case it was an enemy. Sheik had told him where to go throughout the journey, and without him he would have been lost several times. Reminded of this, he looked over his shoulder, just in case there was another helper for him. There was not, but there was something even more mysterious. Imbedded in the Pedestal, was… the Master Sword. He checked the sword in his hand. It was definitely the Master Sword. He went back to the Pedestal and tried to pull the other sword out. If the mysterious other was another Master Sword, this quest would be over quickly. However, he could not take the other sword out, no matter how hard he tried. While pondering this mystery, he decided to go to the castle and consult Zelda. Her power had grown since she was kidnapped by Ganon all those years ago. Maybe she would be able to help him. He walked briskly to the exit of the Temple, quickly heading for Castle Zambasta.

          The only way to the Castle was through the Market place, a bustling square of activity and commotion. Everywhere he looked, Draknek could see people hurrying around looking for something, or in a rush to get somewhere. He had come here every day for the past 7 years, and not much had changed in that time. The cucco running around had been there all along, although now it was chased by a different child, the brother of the child who used to do it. That older brother stood by some bushes in the centre of the square, making sure his brother didn't make too big a fool of himself. The cucco passed through the feet of the dancing couple, who hadn't broken up in the over 7 years they had met. And behind the dancers, a brown dog ran around wildly, barking at passers by. It ran round everywhere, but every so often came back to it's mistress for a biscuit, the plump woman treating it nicer than any Zambastan. Draknek was starting to move towards the path to the Castle, when something caught his eye.

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          'Zelda!' he shouted, looking at the blonde Princess of Destiny. 'Zelda! I must talk to you!' However, as he got closer to the Princess, the guards held their spears ready and looked at him suspiciously. 'What the hell?' he asked, as they came closer, with spears levelled at his chest. 'What are you doing? It's me! Zelda, why don't they recognise me?' Zelda looked at him quizzically.

          'Link? Link, it's you!' she replied. 'I knew you would come back!' She motioned to the guards. 'You can put down your weapons, now.' The guards reluctantly did as she said, although they still eyed Draknek suspiciously.

          'What are you talking about? Who's Link?' was all he could stammer amid his puzzling.

          'You are, of course. Come on. We'll go to the Castle and you can explain where you have been all these years,' said Zelda, gently tugging on his arm, and indicating to the guards that they were not needed anymore.


	2. A meeting

The Legend of Zelda

**The Army of Grazburg**

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Chapter 2 - A meeting 

 'Okay, so you're saying that this isn't Zambasta, my name is Link, and I went off on a quest to find Navi 6 years ago? Well, one, This is most definitely Zambasta, or a very good copy of it. two, however much I would have loved to be called Link, I was told by the Great Deku Tree himself that my name was Draknek. And three, I have been staying in this Castle since we all got sent back into the past after defeating Ganon.' Draknek was very confused.

          'Very well. I do not sense that you are lying, so I must believe you for now. It may be that you live in some alternate version of Hyrule called Zambasta. However, I do not understand why you are here. There may be a way to find out, but it is not certain to work. With my Triforce of Wisdom, I can take us to the Temple of Light, where we can ask Rauru what to do,' suggested Zelda. 'But I cannot use my power on you without your consent.'

          'I spoke to Rauru before, just before coming here. He spoke cryptically, but maybe you will be able to help me understand him. We certainly aren't getting anywhere here,' replied Draknek. Zelda knelt down opposite him and put her hands on his shoulders. He shut his eyes and prepared for her presence to wash over him.

**********

          '_Hero of Time!_' came the voice again. '_Hero of Time, you must find the other. The Draknek will go to the Land of Termina to find the Link. The Draknek **must** find the Link,_' said Rauru, seeming more desperate. '_Where one will fail, two will unite, and both the Lands will be safe.'_

          'Wait! I don't understand! Where am I? Who is the Link?' spoke Draknek.

          _'You are in the Alternate, the Land of Link. Draknek, find the Triforce of Courage or Hyrule and Zambasta will be no more!'_

**********

          'Draknek! Draknek, wake up!' came Zelda's voice. He opened his eyes. 'What happened? Did it work? I was supposed to come with you!'

          'I had another vision.' Draknek replied. 'Rauru spoke to me.'

          'What did he say?' asked the Princess, letting go of his shoulders.

          'I must go to the Land of Termina to find the Link. Where one will fail, two will unite, and both the lands will be safe,' repeated Draknek. 'Then he said I was in the Alternate, the Land of Link, and that I must find the Triforce of Courage or Hyrule and Zambasta will be no more. Does any of that mean anything to you?'

          'Not all of it, but I think I know where to start. He said to go to Termina to find the Link. Maybe this other is another Hero of Time, the Hero of Time that belongs here in Hyrule. That Hero of Time would be Link, if he had not gone searching for Navi. I have no idea where Termina is, but I know Link went to the Deku Tree. You should follow Link's trail, and sooner or later, you will find him. The alternate could mean an alternate version of Zambasta, the Land protected by Link, which is Hyrule. And the Triforce of Courage is easy. Link holds the Triforce of Courage, ever since Ganon took the Triforce of Power.'

          'Link still has the Triforce of Courage? Mine was taken from me after I defeated Ganon! That way even if Ganon escaped from the Evil Realm, he would not be able to take that part of the Triforce by defeating me,' exclaimed Draknek.

          'Very interesting,' Zelda said. 'But it doesn't really make that much difference. You must go to the Great Deku Tree and find out from him where Link went. Then you must follow him, and go to this Land of Termina. Hyrule needs its protector, and it must need it soon, if you were summoned here. Go to the Deku Tree, and hurry!'

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          'Oh Draknek, thou hast finally come. Listen now carefully to what I, the Deku Tree, am about to tell thee. Link is the Hyrulian Hero of Time, and you are, in essence his twin,' said the Deku Tree. 'Zambasta is an alternate version of this beautiful Land of Hyrule, and you were summoned here to find the missing Hero. The two of you wouldst be a powerful force against the unknown evil that will soon sweep this land, the Hero's of Hyrule and Zambasta. But alas, the way ahead will not be easy. Even for the two of you, there will be great danger. Find Link, Draknek. Find Link, or there will be no chance! I can tell thee where to go, but once you are there, I cannot help you. The Land of Termina is closer than you think: A secret passage inside me. Link travelled along it with Epona and left Hyrule. You must go the same way, but neither of you will see it again.' The Great Deku Tree's mouth opened, and inside, Draknek saw the familiar first dungeon he had been through, as it was all those years ago.

          But there was one exception. In the left wall, behind the three bushes, was a passageway to another area. It lay beneath a higher walkway, and he could not believe that he had not discovered it before. Following the passage, he eventually came out in a clearing somewhere in the Lost Woods. There were trees all over the place, some going high into the sky. No-one had been here since Link had passed through 6 years previously, and Draknek could still see the hoof marks from Epona and footprints from Link. Using just these, he could get a good idea of what had happened. Epona had been strolling along at a gentle pace, when she had suddenly reared up, and threw Link to the ground, where he had lain unconscious for several minutes. Another person had appeared, turned Link over, and gone through his pockets. They stood there for some time, perhaps playing with something they had found, until Link had woken up and lunged at this other figure. Epona had started galloping off, and Link had grabbed onto something attached to her, and been trailed along behind her. Following the hoof marks, Draknek hurried along, trying to find Link as quickly as possible.

Eventually, he arrived in another clearing, with a single stump in the middle. He could see that Link had finally been thrown off here, and had ran off further into the woods in a hurry to get Epona back. The tracks led through a gap in the trees and into yet another part of the woods. Going through the same gap, he noted that the marks ended, but there was still an obvious way forward. There were several stumps in the clearing, forming a sort of makeshift steps up to another passage. Link had obviously followed this to the next area, but this was not what Draknek knew he had to do. On the first stump, a blue transportation point reminded him of the transportation he had undergone after each boss. Knowing that these were not random occurrences, but designed to help him along his way, Draknek climbed onto the tree stump and stepped into the light. A blue crystal enveloped him, and soared him high into the clear blue sky.

When he reappeared, he did not know where he was. A small stream ran in front of him, with a large water wheel spinning in it. Behind him was a metal door, closed seemingly forever. To the left of the wheel, a set of stairs led up to a higher level. There was moss and lichen all over the place, and the sound of the water running through the wheel was remarkably loud. The stairs went in a circle, surrounding the wheel, and ended up opposite a large double door made out of wood, with a design in red covering it. It was the obvious exit, and from behind it, he could hear sounds not unlike the ones from Hyrule Market, but somehow different, inexplicably so. He stepped through the double doors, as they easily creaked open.

          Opposite him when he came out was a figure in a green tunic, with pointy ears. It was himself, as far as Draknek could tell.

          'Welcome, Draknek. You took your time didn't you?' said the figure. 'I'm Link.'


End file.
